pRO Story
by Phracon
Summary: Parallel Ragnarok Online Story. A pair of newly admitted acolyte and mage lucks out and mets an easy-go-lucky novice. The group sets out only to find themselves at the center of events leading to the dreaded day - Ragnarok. [Chapter 3 up]
1. Paths Crossing

With the early morning sunlight filling throughout the woods, everything just seemed so peaceful. That was until a massive explosion rocked the entire forest including an unripe apple hanging inches above the ground by a long line.  
  
Tightening his grip on the fishing rod, the novice sitting up on the branch of the one of the tall trees lowered the magazine and took a look at the resulting cloud of dust rising above the forest canopy. "That'll scare the porings away. Oh well," he said with a shrug returning his attention back on the magazine.  
  
"Mika you dumbass! You almost killed us back there!" The boy heard an angry voice shouting aloud and from the sound of it, its owner seemed to be moving closer to his location. However, just like the explosion, that didn't interest the novice much as he was deeply immersed with the publication, whatever it contained.  
  
"You're over exaggerating again." A lady wizard answered.  
  
"Me? Over exaggerating? Isn't it you who cast Lord of Vermillion on that lone wolf just because there were other wizards around." The priest following her said irritably. "Really, you need to stop showing off you know."  
  
The wizard stopped on her tracks when she saw the dangling unripe apple up ahead. She followed the line holding the apple and found its owner up on the extended branch of a large tree. "That's an interesting way to catch a poring." She said eyeing the fishing rod on the novice's hand with interest.  
  
The novice turned his head from the magazine down to the wizard and the priest. "Aren't you two way too strong to be training at a place like this?"  
  
"Actually, we're hunting the vagabond wolf." The priest standing next to her replied.  
  
"Okay. Happy hunting." The novice simply said immersing himself back on the magazine.  
  
"Hey!" The wizard called out. "Since the vagabond wolf isn't going to show itself for a while, we wouldn't mind tanking you a bit. We need to kill some time after all so better spend it on something productive."  
  
"I think I'll pass the offer. Thanks anyway." The novice said, trying to sound as polite as possible.  
  
The wizard and priest both turned at each other looking greatly confused. Other novices would have gone flocking around you faster than a thief bug could run towards an item dropped on the ground at the mention of the word 'tank'. Some will even stalk you until you agree to tank them. This one however didn't appear to be interested at all and that stuck them as odd.  
  
"Don't you want to get to a job faster?" The priest asked.  
  
"I'm not in a hurry." The novice answered still keeping his eyes glued on the magazine.  
  
"But at this rate I'm sure most of your classmates from the Academy would have already gotten their first jobs."  
  
"That's fine then."  
  
The priest turned to the wizard who simply shrugged at him.  
  
"Okay. But I'm telling you, you're passing up this great opportunity." The wizard called back before she and the priest continued on their way.  
  
"What's with him?" The novice heard her ask after the two got a relative distance away.  
  
"Don't worry about him. He's still got years to catch up with his destiny so he's probably taking his time." The priest replied.  
  
"But still..." He heard the wizard say before the novice lost sight of them against the forest vegetation.  
  
A while later, the novice stopped reading and looked up at the sky with a thought nagging away at him. "Destiny eh?" He was musing on this quite some time before he felt something tugging at his fishing rod. A wide smile appeared on his face. He gave the fishing rod a sharp pull sending the small poring that got caught with the line high into the air. "Gotcha!"

* * *

pRO Story

Chapter 1 –

* * *

"YYEEESSSS!!!"  
  
Startled birds started flying away from the branches of the nearby trees. A poring fell sharply from its leisurely place on top of its master's head splattering pink goo all over the magazine by his lap. The novice looked in a mix of horror and disbelief. His eyes were twitching at the sight of the ruined magazine. The voice boomed so loud that nearby people turned their heads towards its source.  
  
"Finally! Now I'm a certified full-pledged acolyte!" a young girl, brown hair barely reaching the shoulder, shouted proudly as she and her companion made their way out of the giant doors of Prontera Sanctuary. She was totally oblivious of the attention she was getting.  
  
Some people, especially the priests and priestesses, looked scandalized for making such a scene while in front of the house of God. Merchants eyed her as a prospective buyer for their blue gemstones and other acolyte-specialty wares. Novices, mainly those aspiring to be acolytes, glowed at her full of admiration while the others simply see her as someone they can beg free heals from.  
  
"What are you doing Emily? This is embarrassing." the pretty mage about the same age as the acolyte whispered. She inched closer to sink behind her friend feeling greatly embarrassed. Her face was so red that she felt like melting at all those eyes collectively staring at them. Thankfully, the people lost their interest as quickly as it had crept in and returned their attentions back into their own business.  
  
Emily turned to her friend enthusiastically with a wide smile plastered across her face. "Hey Marlene. What do you think is the first thing we should be doing now that we've graduated from being lowly novices?"  
  
"Umm... Go train?"  
  
"We need to party, silly! We should celebrate our achievements!" Emily grabbed Marlene's arm while raising her other fist into the air. "Alright it's settled! We're going to the Pub and get stuffed with food like there's no tomorrow!" She said gleefully.  
  
"But I don't have any more money. I spent all of my savings buying this new robe and wand. I also paid 1,000z to an acolyte to warp me here."  
  
"Don't worry, it's my treat!" Emily told Marlene while digging her hand into the pocket of her robe.  
  
"?"  
  
Marlene noticed a sudden change in Emily's expression. The acolyte then began searching her pockets frantically. This prompted a feeling of suspicion on the part of Marlene. She narrowed her eyes at her friend. "You don't have any money, right?"  
  
"Ahehehe." Emily chuckled scratching the back of her head. "I forgot. I paid that Kafra girl to warp me to Morroc. The old geezer inside told me to go find and talk to this priestess who's on a stupid pilgrimage at the desert. Then I went to another Kafra girl to warp me back here in Prontera so there, almost all of my money was spent on the warp services."  
  
"You should have just asked acolytes or priests to warp you since they charge cheaper than the Kafra girls," Marlene suggested after hearing her friend's story.  
  
"Nah ah!" Emily shook her head in disagreement. "I'd rather spend more than be scammed by those devious acolytes! Those jerks! They'd offer to warp you at a cheaper fee but after you've given them your money they'll teleport themselves away along with your hard-earned zeny! I hate their kind!" She said aloud causing a small group of acolytes passing by to scowl heavily at them.  
  
A large sweat drop sported over Marlene. _But you're an acolyte too._  
  
"I know!" The acolyte suddenly snapped. "I'll set up a healing station and charge everyone that needs my Heal spells. Sounds profitable ne?"  
  
"I don't think that's a good idea." Marlene pointed at a priest casting Sanctuary a few yards away. Seconds later and light began to emanate from a sizable patch of ground healing the adventurers standing within the spell's territory.  
  
_Showoff! Taking away my customers! _Emily muttered in disgust. "Fine! I'll just set up a warping station then. I'll even give them free heals."  
  
"But umm... You've only turned into an acolyte just minutes ago. You don't know how to open Warp Portals yet." Marlene reminded her.  
  
"So I'll turn it into a scam!" Emily said crossing her arms. "If the other acolytes can do it then so can I!"  
  
"You don't even know how to teleport. How are you going to escape you're victims then?"  
  
"Then I'll just make a run for it."  
  
"You're not a fast runner. Plus, you haven't learned the spell Increase AGI yet. They'll just catch you and bring you to the guards and they'll lock you up in the dungeons for the rest of your life!" Marlene had her hands clasped and quivered at the thought.  
  
Emily's head dropped in defeat. She raked her brain for any new idea and managed to find one after a few minutes. She turned to the mage, scanning her from head to toe. The acolyte particularly took note of her Marlene's uniform which revealed a lot of the girl's flawless skin and perfectly shaped body. A mischievous grin appeared on her face. "I got this wonderful idea! Let's just beg for money. With our looks and charms, we'll be raking a fortune in no time!"

* * *

Marlene saw herself along with Emily sitting by the fountain at the middle of Prontera square, each one throwing pleading, puppy-eyed faces at the hundreds of people passing by.  
  
"Please help us. Have mercy."  
  
"Please spare us some zenny. Or maybe some used equipment. Anything would do."  
  
They repeated those lines again and again hoping that someone with a kind heart would take pity and give them something, anything that they could use to sell at the shops for some money. Unfortunately, none of the other people seem to care to spare them their attention.  
  
Marlene felt like she was already sitting at that spot for hours before a small group consisted of two swordsmen, three thieves, and a merchant approach them making her heart leap in joy. However, that feeling didn't last long when she noticed the lustful, evil looks on the men's faces.  
  
"Will you look at those cute girls."  
  
"You got no money? Why don't you come with us and we'll take care that."  
  
"We're going to have a good time babes!"  
  
"N-no thanks..." replied Emily nervously.  
  
"But we insist babies!" the merchant responded and the men started to inch closer and closer to them. Marlene and Emily hugged each other as they were about to become helpless preys for these flesh-hungry men.  
  
"NO! PLEASE DON'T! NO!!!"  
  
PAK!!!  
  
Marlene's butt fell on the cold stone pavement and felt her left cheek sting. Watery eyed, she rubbed her cheek to ease the pain. Looking up and noticing that was still at the front of Prontera Sanctuary, She saw Emily, her eyes closed and was looking really annoyed with the knots of nerves appearing on her forehead. Her hand was still raised after slapping the mage back to her senses just moments ago.  
  
"Wake up! You're daydreaming again!" Emily said, yelling at the mage. She was glaring down at the mage with such intensity enough to stare down a pecopeco. "Honestly! I don't know what's swimming across that thick head of yours!"  
  
"S-sorry..."  
  
"Stop imagining things. I've just thought of a plan."  
  
"I don't wanna beg for zenny, that's scary..." said Marlene who was still sitting on the road rubbing her reddened left cheek.  
  
"Stupid. Of course we're not going to beg. That was just a joke. I have my dignity you know." Emily huffed proudly. "We're going to hunt monsters outside the city and sell all the items that we find at a shop for some cash. Got it?"  
  
Marlene merely nodded in assent.  
  
Emily energetically raised an arm and pointed forward. "Alright! Let's go!" The acolyte exclaimed aloud feeling overly enthusiastic. A wide grin was plastered across her face. She was totally unaware that people are staring at her again leaving poor Marlene to bear all the embarrassment she was making.

* * *

The loud sound of a violin playing out of tune echoed across the bushy field as a large green rocker appeared into the area. The creature was jumping up and down, playing its musical instrument as it moved across the field. Unknown to the creature, two girls hiding behind a large clump of bushes had been spying down on him.  
  
"Is that what we're going to kill?" whispered Marlene.  
  
"Yup. I heard that monster's legs fetch a higher price than jelopies." Emily replied softly.  
  
"I don't know. That monster looks strong and scary. Besides, remember what happen to our classmate Collin when he tackled one of those? He got broken bones all over his body and had to stay in the infirmary for six months. " Marlene explained. She was having second thoughts about this.  
  
"Stop being a chicken. You know that snotty Collin is such a weakling that a fabre can kick his ass up to the moon and back." Emily hissed keeping her voice low so as not to let the rocker know of their presence. "So? You ready?" she asked again.  
  
"Um... Yes." Marlene agreed reluctantly.  
  
"We'll attack after I count to three. One." Emily readied her club, observing the creature as it neared the bush they are hiding.  
  
"Two."  
  
Marlene nodded in determination. She tightened her grip on her rod. The rocker was now directly in front of them.  
  
"Three!"  
  
A loud rustle came from the bushes as the girls jumped out of their hiding and startled the rocker. The creature was unable to defend itself as a result leaving Emily's large club to make contact directly on its head while Marlene's wand had a clean hit on the rocker's abdomen.  
  
_Success_, thought Emily. Her lips curled into a triumphant grin.  
  
Slowly, the grasshopper-like monster raised one of its long slender arms and threw the girls away with one powerful swing. They landed with a loud thud on the ground a good fifteen feet away.  
  
"Ouch!" Emily and Marlene cried in unison.  
  
Emily's eyes grew wide in a mixture of awe and fear after seeing the monster's sheer power. Their attacks didn't even give the rocker a scratch. She had greatly miscalculated the rocker's strength and now the monster is enraged. The rocker advanced towards them threateningly flexing all its arms.  
  
"Run!" Emily quickly grabbed Marlene's wrist and the two started to run at breakneck speed in an attempt to escape while the angry rocker gave chase.  
  
After about an hour of searching and failing to find its attackers, the rocker decided to return to its peaceful living and stalked back into the forest playing the ear-splitting tune from its violin as it went.  
  
Emily stuck her head out of the large cluster of bushes they were hiding; glancing around the surroundings to make sure that the monster was gone. "All right. The coast is clear."  
  
Both girls stood up and walked out of the bushes dusting themselves free of the leaves and twigs that got caught in their hair and clothes.  
  
"I told you that monster was strong." said Marlene.  
  
"Yeah, yeah. Stop blaming me okay? Let's just look for other monsters to kill so we could get something to sell back at the shops," replied Emily.  
  
"Why don't we just go for the porings?" Marlene asked hopefully.  
  
"Don't be stupid! We won't get a good pay from those. We'll just waste our time," Emily said without turning to her friend as she was busy scanning the area for any monster they could hunt.  
  
"Awww... But they're just so cute." Marlene sounded disappointed.  
  
"There!" Emily cried aloud, pointing at a large red walking tree trunk being mobbed by a swordsman, a thief and a merchant.  
  
"But that's much stronger compared to the rocker! We can't beat that!" A shocked Marlene exclaimed.  
  
"Of course we can't take that on by ourselves. That's why we're going to kill-steal from them." Emily explained, pointing at the group tackling the elder willow. She shifted her eyes back and saw the elder willow make a swipe and narrowly missing the thief while the swordsman and the merchant continued to hack their weapons into the monster's tough wooden trunk. "Besides, that monster may drop a trunk which is worth 1,000z. More than enough for that feast I'm planning to have."  
  
"Um... Won't those people get mad at us? We'll be stealing their loot."  
  
"Oh don't worry. After all, the first one to pick it up gets to keep it. Com 'on let's go! " Emily rushed towards the elder willow to join the group and whacked the monster with her club. Marlene followed her friend's example and started attacking with her wooden wand amidst the angry hisses of the others.  
  
"Hey! This is our monster so buzz off!" hissed the merchant.  
  
Marlene stopped attacking, bowed her head low and apologized. "Sorry..."  
  
The thief didn't say anything though he shot deadly glares at them from the corner of his eyes. Keeping his concentration on the enemy, as he narrowly dodged another swipe from the monster's large wooden hands  
  
"Marlene, don't just stand there! Blast this thing with your magic!" shouted Emily while continuing with her relentless attacks.  
  
"Um..." Marlene hesitated for while but then decided to follow her friend's instruction. She raised her arm and began gathering energy on the tip of her wand.  
  
"Stop that you stubborn weaklings!" cursed the swordsman.  
  
"Napalm Beat!!" Marlene exclaimed, releasing a massive psychic wave that instantly blast the elder willow apart. Emily saw a large piece of valuable wood fell from the monster' shattered body. Quickly, she raced her hands down and grabbed the loot before the others could.  
  
"Give that back! That's ours!" the swordsman demanded angrily.  
  
"Too bad we got our hands on it first." Emily refused, sticking her tongue at the trio.  
  
"We're so sorry. We're so sorry. We're so sorry." Marlene kept on repeating while constantly bowing her head up and down.  
  
"You're not only kill-stealers but looters as well! I've never seen anyone swoop so low!" the merchant said in disgust. She picked up a jelopy from his cart and threw it at Emily's head. "Take that!" The thief and swordsman followed suit and started throwing jelopies at the girls. Emily and Marlene quickly retreated in order to get away from the painful shower of jelopies.

* * *

"Ouch! It hurts." Marlene cried. Tear drops are forming on the corner of her eyes.  
  
"Stop squirming! I'm trying to heal you!" Emily said angrily whilst casting her healing spell to remedy the large bump Marlene got from one of the jelopies that connected hard on her head. After a few shots of Heal to recover Marlene and herself, Emily felt worn out. The healing spells consumed a large amount of her stamina so she decided to sit down and take a little rest.  
  
"Those guys are so mean!" Marlene complained.  
  
"Yeah. So is that merchant they're with. She thinks she's so hot when in fact that oversized bag of hers makes her look like she's pregnant with a full-grown savage." Emily fumed. She took out the piece of trunk they got and a sly smile curled on her lips. "But it's okay. At least we got this. After we sell this we'll be having a feast at the pub."  
  
Just then, a worn out novice came wandering about and saw Emily together with Marlene sitting under the shade of a large tree. Quickly, the novice approached the acolyte, sat in front of her and muttered, "Heal me please."  
  
"Later. I'm resting." Emily replied to the boy.  
  
"Heal me please!" The novice muttered again and again and again.  
  
"I said later! I'm still recovering my stamina!" Emily replied, the irritating pleads of the boy was starting to get on her nerves.  
  
"Heal me! Heal me! Heal me!" The novice continued.  
  
"GRR!!!" Emily stood up, much to the novice's delight to see that the acolyte was about to use her healing spell on him but instead of a heal Emily gave him a good whack on the face with her club knocking the poor novice unconscious before stalking away angrily towards the direction of Prontera City.  
  
"Hey, are you okay?" Marlene asked, poking the boy with a twig. "Emily! Looks like you've killed him!"

* * *

"Here's your order." The pub's waitress said as she laid down huge servings of steaks, pork chops and a large plate of fried rice on the table. She looked all stressed out and harassed. The reason seems to be quite obvious though. The pub was unusually full today and the customers were noisily calling after the few waitresses to take their orders, complain that their food was taking way too long or to ask for their chits.  
  
Emily dumped huge amounts of food into her plate and started to devour them as if she was a hungry orc. Marlene, on the other hand, was contented with sipping apple juice and watched Emily tear the food down savagely.  
  
"Hey Marlene, want some?." Emily said in mouthfuls. Rice was flying from her mouth as she spoke.  
  
"No thanks. I'm fine with apple juice."  
  
"Why? The food's really great you know." Emily noisily swallowed a mouthful of steak. "We can order a few more dishes if you want."  
  
"Really, I'm fine with apple juice. Actually this is my favorite drink because it makes me feel like I'm a poring." Marlene giggled. A large sweat drop appeared on Emily's forehead.  
  
At that moment the doors of the pub burst open and in came a group of hoodlums composed of a knight, an archer, a thief, two swordsmen and a mage. The group walked straight towards the counter, turning over tables that get in their way. One of the swordsmen pulled out his large sword and hacked a nearby table in half sending food into the air and its cowardly occupants cowering away.  
  
"This place is reserved for the day so you scumbags better get asses out of here if you know what's good for you!" The swordsman threatened.  
  
The mage extended his hand forward, palm wide open and shoot a Fire Ball towards the pub's wooden doors causing a loud explosion of fire, smoke and debris. "What are you waiting for? Beat it!" he shouted.  
  
Quickly, the pubs' patrons rushed out of the establishment like scurrying ants. There was a bottleneck at the doorway as the door was unable to accommodate everyone. Each was pushing and pulling one another as they want to be the first to be able to leave the place.  
  
"Emily! Hurry up! Let's go!" Marlene said tugging her friend's dress. She wanted to leave the area as soon as possible. Emily gobbled up as much food as she can before getting off the table letting herself be dragged away by Marlene to join the large crowd jostling by the door trying to get out.  
  
Back at the counter, the knight approached the pub owner. The thief, taking no notice of the owner or the waitress, jumped behind the bar and gathered bottles of drinks for them while the rest of their party took seats at a now unoccupied table.  
  
"Hey old man! It's my birthday today! Won't you mind giving me some of those wines as a treat?" the knight asked threateningly at the pub owner.  
  
"S-sure. J-just t-take as much as you want." The pub owner replied, trembling in fear at the sight of the large sword hanging by the knight's waist together with though looking armor covering the knight's large frame.  
  
"You heard that guys? Take what you want it's on the house!" the knight shouted to his men.  
  
"Great!" the men responded in glee.  
  
"Miss. Won't you dance for us? We could really use some entertainment." The archer asked lasciviously the waitress who was trembling in fear.  
  
"It's party time!" said the thief as he distributes the drinks to his comrades.  
  
Toink. Toink.  
  
Everyone turned to where the unexpected noise came from and saw at the far end of the bar a novice, with slightly messy green hair and about nineteen years of age, eating silently oblivious to the recent happenings while his pet, a cute pink baby poring, was jumping and wobbling on the bar next to the boy's plate sipping apple juice.  
  
"WOW!!! What a cute poring!" Marlene shouted excitedly at the sight of the boy's pet. They where now by the doorway when Marlene stopped much to Emily's annoyance since thanks to her about six or so persons had slid past them when it should have already been their turn.  
  
"Hey! Is that novice deaf or what?" The archer exclaimed  
  
"Maybe he wants to learn a lesson he won't get from the Academy," said the swordsman. He stood from his seat to approach the boy when he felt a hand tap him on the shoulder.  
  
"Its my birthday so you guys better relax and enjoy yourselves. I'll take care of that gatecrasher." said the knight before leaving for to approach the uninvited novice.  
  
"Tsk tsk. Poor guy." said the archer looking at the direction of the novice shaking his head.  
  
"Yeah. The boss will surely beat the stuffing out of him." The other swordsman seconded.  
  
The knight moved next to the novice and banged the bar with his fist so hard that the plate from which the boy was eating jumped by a few centimeters into the air. "Hey kid, you're not invited here! Scram!"  
  
Surprisingly, however intimidating the knight was the boy and his pet simply ignored him and continued to mind their own business. This really pissed the knight off. With an angry swipe he knocked the plate away spilling food on the boy's lap while the fine china broke into several small pieces after it fell on the hard floor.  
  
"Dammit! You're pissing me off!" came the knight's earsplitting shout.  
  
This time the boy and his poring pet turned their eyes reproachfully on the angry knight and in a snap his poring jumped onto the knight's face. The novice reacted quickly. He jumped on his feet and kicked the knight hard on the sheens making him flinch in the intense pain. The boy then held a nearby wooden stool on one of its legs and slammed it hard into the knight's face a second after his pet had jumped away knocking him out.  
  
Enraged, the knight's partymates started to rush towards the novice. The archer quickly took out his bow and shoots an arrow aimed at the boy's heart. The novice had caught sight of this and managed to upturn a nearby table just in time for the arrow to hit its wooden surface instead of his body. Placing his hand on the edge of the table, he jumped over the upturned table and, using the arm holding the table as support, he pushed himself towards the archer. The archer who was yet to setup another arrow on his bow was left defenseless when the boy rammed his fist straight into his jaw knocking him down on the floor.  
  
Holding his dagger steady, the thief dashed towards the novice with great speed coming from behind. However on the last second before the thief could connect his dagger on the enemy's spine, the novice made a quick side step causing the dagger to fly past him. He then extended his foot and tripped the thief off his balance sending him flying towards the swordsman who was at the time rushing towards the novice's front side. They collided in a loud crash and ended as a lumbering heap of entangled bodies down on the floor.  
  
"Emily! Let's help him!" pleaded Marlene.  
  
"Com 'on!" Emily nodded. She rushed behind the unsuspecting swordsman and rammed her club at the back of the man's skull immediately sending him to sleep.  
  
"Fire Bo"  
  
"Napalm Beat!!" Marlene knocked the enemy mage down before he could complete casting. If she had failed to do so, the poor novice would have been turned to ashes by the mage's fire spell.  
  
"YOU BRAT! I'LL TEAR YOU TO PIECES!" The angry knight roared aloud after finally getting back on his feet. He pulled the large sword off its sheath, raised it with both hands into the air and began a mad rush towards the boy.  
  
The boy looked around and saw a bottle of wine on a nearby table. He took the bottle with a quick swipe and threw it at the charging knight. The knight slashed the bottle flying towards him effortlessly. He reached him in a second and hacked his great sword down at him.  
  
"DIE!!!"  
  
However, much to the knight's, Emily's and Marlene's surprise, the boy disappeared a split second before his sword could come into contact with his body.  
  
"You reek."  
  
The knight shifted his head and to his disbelief saw the boy in a crouching position behind him. The novice had an evil smile curled up on his lips and lighted the matchstick he was holding by scratching it on the floor before jumping away. He threw the burning matchstick at the knight's wine soaked clothing and almost instantly, the knight erupted in flames and was howling in pain.  
  
"Napalm Beat!!"  
  
A sudden bust of magical energy hit the burning knight. The knight's wailing ceased and was drowned in the sound of flickering flames. The knight had passed out. The novice turned at the pub owner and the waitress covering on the side and said, "Hurry up and douse the flames! He might die if you don't hurry!"  
  
The pub owner and the waitress both nodded in unison and hurried inside to fetch some water. They returned moments later each one carrying a pail of water which they threw at the knight's body to extinguish the flames.  
  
The novice turned to the direction where the casting came from and saw a mage about the same age as he is. She was skipping up and down, her long straight blue hair swaying in the air. All the while she was clapping gleefully saying, "Yey! I beat a knight! I beat a knight! I beat a knight!"  
  
Standing a few steps away from the mage was an acolyte, also around his age, with a superior look on her face. "Ha! Look at them sleep! They're no match for my amazing strength and power! Hahaha!" Emily boasted aloud, shamelessly taking the credit for beating the hoodlums all for herself.  
  
"I like your moves. And from what I've seen, I can say that you got a lot of potential. By the way, what's your name?" She asked.  
  
"Mai Escaya." The novice answered absentmindedly. He kept on staring at the girls. _They do look familiar_, he thought, blinking twice just to make sure that his eyes weren't playing tricks with him.  
  
"Doesn't that sound like a girl's name?" Emily mused aloud. She shook her head dismissing the thought. "Anyway, I'm Emily Leibeldy, super-hot-beautiful-sexy future priestess in training and that silly girl is Marlene Melborne." She introduced pointing at the girl who was chanting, "I beat a knight! I beat a knight! Yey! I beat a knight!" in the background.  
  
"I know you two!" Mai suddenly exclaimed cutting Emily in mid-sentence after finally recalling who they were.  
  
"Really!" Emily excalimed, her eyes glowing. _I never knew we were that famous already! This is great!_  
  
"You were those scandalous women hanging around Prontera Sanctuary this morning!"  
  
"Hey! Who're you calling scandalous?!" Emily asked raising her voice in anger.  
  
Mai took out a magazine from his backpack and flashed it at her face. "Look at what you've done! Do you know that this limited fifth anniversary issue cost me around 1,500z! See! Thanks to you it's ruined!"  
  
Emily's face turned bright red at the sight before her. The novice had the magazine opened when he stuck it near her face to show her the huge blotches on its precious pages. However, that also showed her the various photos of naked women in erotic poses and couples doing "it".  
  
"You better pay me now or else I'll"  
  
"PERVERT!!!" Emily rammed her fist straight on the boy's crown. It was packed with so much force it sent the novice flat against the floor with a large bump and stars circling around his head. He was on that position when his little pet poring jumped over and settled on top of his head. The poring was glaring at the acolyte for hitting his master.  
  
Emily was crackling her fists, large knots appearing over her forehead and streams of air puffing out of her nostrils. "I'll pay you back for defiling my innocent eyes!" She said, obviously a lie. She raised her foot and was about to give Mai the beating of his life when Marlene suddenly pushed her aside, sat down and stared at Mai intently.  
  
Mai snapped back to his senses looking at the mage as she slowly moved her head closer to his. His eyes were locked into her calm blue eyes. Mai felt his face glow crimson as Marlene's face inched closer and closer.  
  
Marlene's face then broke into a wide cheerful smile. "WOW! What a cute poring!"


	2. Tedious Field Work

Chapter 2 –  
  
Tension rose in the middle of a vast rice field around the Prontera countryside where a young mage and a tall green rocker both stood on their guard. Keeping her eyes extremely focused on the grasshopper-like monster a few meters away, Marlene tightened her grip on her wand while the rocker was flexing its long arms. Its large head was fixed at her, watching her every move, waiting for the right time to strike. A sudden gust of warm summer breeze blowing across the yellow fields signified the start of the duel.  
  
The rocker started to rush forward, running madly through the gold colored rice field. Meanwhile, the vegetation around Marlene was swaying wildly as the mage began reciting the incantation for her spell. The more time she spent casting the closer the monster got. The rocker had already covered more than half of the distance and she was yet to complete the incantation. However, she remained calm despite the upcoming danger and focused her mind completely, tapping her magical powers.  
  
"Napalm Beat!!" Marlene finally shouted, releasing a massive amount of psychic energy towards the charging grasshopper. The rush of invisible energy causes the rice to sway in its wake.  
  
PAK!!!  
  
The rocker's decapitated head fell down from the sky a good distance away while the rest of the monster's body stood still by about a minute after its head was taken off before it toppled down to the ground dead.  
  
"Whew! That was close!" she said in relief, wiping the sweat off her forehead.  
  
Marlene moved closer to the rocker's corpse. She then took out a piece of paper from the pocket of her robe and examined the anatomical diagram of a rocker's body written on it very carefully. "Mmm... According to this..." she muttered, moving her head up to take a look at the corpse before glancing back at the paper. "...this leg is the one I should take." She bent down, grasping one of the rocker's legs and pulled it with all her might until it was severed from the rest of the body with a snap.  
  
"YEY! I got my fifth grasshopper leg!" she said aloud, jumping in glee after dumping the leg on the open sack by her feet.  
  
Shkk! Shkk!  
  
The sudden rustling and the two green insect's antennas caught by her peripheral vision sticking out of the rice instantly send Marlene back on her guard. Immediately facing towards the direction of the hiding enemy, she began casting her spell.  
  
"Finally I found you!" Mai cried aloud, getting back on his feet to reveal himself from the blanket of tall rice and raising his pet poring high into the air with both hands. He was wearing a Green Feeler, a headgear that looks like an overgrown pair of insect's antenna that is quite popular all over Midgard.  
  
"Napalm Beat!!"  
  
"Waaa!" Both Mai and his pet's eyes grew as wide as saucers when they saw the invisible psychic wave snaking through the rice. Fortunately, Mai was able to sidestep out of the way for the spell to pass them harmlessly. However, the next person to emerge from the rice steps behind the novice was not as lucky.  
  
"Just look at what that stupid poring made me do! Making me crawl under all these rice! I'm itching all over!"  
  
PAK!!!!  
  
The spell hit the acolyte girl instead sending her back down the rice-covered ground.  
  
"EMILY!!!" Mai and Marlene both shouted in alarmed. Marlene quickly raced to where her friend had fallen leaving her grasshopper legs behind and sat beside her.  
  
Groggy-eyed, Emily watched the blurred image of Marlene and Mai worriedly calling to her before her eyes settled on the pink poring on the novice's arm.  
  
_Great Father, why was it that my life been plagued with bad luck ever since that slimy poring came,_ was the though the ran through Emily's head as her vision slowly turns dark and the events of three of days ago played on her mind.

* * *

Mai, Marlene and Emily were walking along Izlude's town circle with the mage cuddling Mai's pet poring in her arms. They have just step out of the Tool Shop after selling the loot that they have collected for the day's worth of hunting. They didn't get much since the items they sold weren't of high value but still they earned enough to buy themselves food for the rest of the day.  
  
"Next time we should hunt stronger monsters so that we could get better junk that sells at a much higher price," said Emily while counting the money that they've collected from the old man with glasses.  
  
"As long as we don't kill-steal again. I don't wanna have another painful bump on my head." Marlene said flinching at the painful memory of the shower of jelopies they got for kill stealing from another group of adventurers. She was rubbing the place on her head where she once got a huge bump.  
  
"You kill-stealed?" Mai asked narrowing his eyes at the two in disgust.  
  
Meanwhile, knots upon knots of nerves have appeared on Emily forehead. "GRR! Just wait 'til I get my hands on that merchant bitch! I'll give her the worst ass whipping she'll ever experience in her entire life!" She punched a nearby steel lamppost in her anger and bending it as a result, a feat that earned wide mouth gasps of awe from nearby people.  
  
Mai swallowed aloud after seeing what the angry acolyte is capable of doing. He nervously inched closer to Marlene and whispered, "Does your friend act like that all the time?"  
  
"Yeah. Emily's been like that ever since I first met her back at the Academy. She goes on a rampage every time she's angry. Also, her nostrils flares up making her look like a savage." Marlene answered softly so as not to let Emily hear.  
  
Mai threw a short glance at the raging acolyte. "Yeah..." He said to Marlene and the two bursts into suppressed laughter.  
  
"WHAT DID YOU SAY THAT I LOOK LIKE A SAVAGE!!!"  
  
Startled, Mai and Marlene both stopped dead on their tracks and swallowed nervously thinking that Emily had overheard them.  
  
"Mommy!"  
  
Mai and Marlene sighed in relief when they saw that Emily had been shouting at a little boy who had pointed at her and called her a Savage, large wild boar monsters that dwell deep in the forests. Scared, the little boy ran crying into his mommy's arms.  
  
"Master, I'm hungry!" squeaked a cute little voice catching the party's attention towards the wobbling poring in Marlene's arms.  
  
"Wow! Your pet can speak very well!" exclaimed Marlene sounding thoroughly impressed.  
  
"I'm glad all those lessons I gave him paid off." Mai replied. He knelt down and began searching his backpack. After a few moments of rummaging through his bag, he took out a bottle of apple juice and gave it to his pet. "Here."  
  
"That's my favorite drink! Thanks a lot, Master! You're the best!" the poring said in gratitude.  
  
"Apple Juice! Can I have one too?" Marlene grabbed one bottle from the novice's bag without waiting for his approval.  
  
"Having a pet is way too troublesome and not to mention expensive. Why don't you just sell that thing off? I bet it'll fetch a good price," said Emily, eyeing the little poring that was sipping its favorite food. She got the idea after they passed by the local pet shop with all those smelly and noisy critters in cages stacked on the sidewalk in front of the store. That earned her a reproachful glare from the little poring.  
  
"Emily that's rude!" said Marlene.  
  
"I'm just being practical. Zenny is hard to earn nowadays." Emily retorted.  
  
"It's my money I'm spending so nose off, okay." Mai said, standing up and wearing his backpack again. Emily crossed her arms and 'hmph'ed at the boy in response.  
  
"But porings are cute! See!" The acolyte stepped back as Marlene extended the pink poring to her.  
  
"Eww! Get that thing away from me! Porings house thousands of germs inside that slimy body of theirs! Also, those things like to eat garbage like chon-chons and thief bugs! I'm surprised that you're not even disgusted by those!" Emily ranted, keeping a good distance away from the novice's pet.  
  
"It's still cute." Marlene stated firmly, still extending the poring with both hands towards the acolyte.  
  
"What cute?!" Emily said in outrage, pointing a finger at the poring. "Look at that thing closely, Marlene! It's ugly and lifeless! I don't get it! Of all the monsters in the world, why do you have to be obsessed with porings!"  
  
With its feeling hurt, the poring narrowed its eyes at Emily and squeaked, "Savage!"  
  
That word caused Emily's ears to twitch. She looked down and with an evil smile on her lips she gave the poring a very intimidating look. "What did you say?" She said in a falsely sweet tone of voice.  
  
"You're so ugly! You look just like a Savage!" the poring courageously squealed. The nearby people who heard what the poring called Emily all sniggered.  
  
Knots of nerves started to appear again on Emily's forehead. Slowly, she raised a clenched fist threatening the poring with it. "Are you teasing me?!"  
  
A large sweat drop appeared on Mai's forehead as he watched in disbelief the brewing hostility between the acolyte and his pet. _Loud, obnoxious and violent. Is this girl really an acolyte?_  
  
Emily and the poring engaged in a grueling match of name-calling and it was evident that Emily was losing. Every time the poring called her something, her face would turn redder, the knots of nerves on Emily's forehead multiplied and gusts of air were coming out of her nostrils. In her mind, Marlene was swapping Emily's face with an image of an angry savage and she would burst in laughter. Good thing the acolyte was busy at the moment.  
  
"I'll kiss you!" the poring said.  
  
"You just try!" Emily threatened.  
  
"EEEKKKKKK!!!"  
  
Without a word, the poring jumped from Marlene's outstretched arms and into Emily's face. Emily, with her dislike for slimy creatures, tried to back away but was too late as the poring had landed on her face blocking her vision completely. She was backing blindly until she tripped and crashed into the nearby fruit stand.  
  
After the poring had fell off her face, Emily was disgusted to see herself covered with squashed fruits and dripping with sticky fruit juices. "Look at what you've done!" She angrily said to the poring.  
  
However, instead of running as far away from the acolyte as possible, the poring moved closer to Emily with a shining glow in its eyes.  
  
"W-what?" Emily said inching backwards, unnerved at the sudden change on the poring's attitude. She failed to notice that her head had fallen and squashed a pile of freshly picked apples and now her head and face were dripping in apple extracts which, unfortunately for her, are very attractive to porings.  
  
"EWW!!!" Emily cried in disgust as the little poring started licking her face. Both of them stopped when a large shadow loomed from above. They looked up to see the fruit merchant glaring angrily at them.

* * *

_And that's the reason why we're here._  
  
Emily's blurring vision fixed down at the large bulging sack filled with grasshopper legs near Mai's feet.  
  
_In order to pay the fruit merchant back for all the damages she told us to exterminate the rockers in these rice fields so that the farmers could work on the harvest in peace._  
  
Emily's heavy eyelids finally closed over her tired eyes.  
  
_We won't earn anything from all these work. _  
  
"...porings are bad luck..." she muttered softly as she fell to sleep.

* * *

The blue cloudless sky became clearer and clearer as Emily slowly opened her eyes. She could still feel her head ringing after being accidentally hit by Marlene's Napalm Beat spell. She gingerly got into a sitting position, placing a hand over her still aching head and noticed that she was in a clearing in the middle of the rice fields used as a sort of picnic ground for farmers to eat their lunch.  
  
"Are you okay Emily?" a voice which was definitely Marlene's asked.  
  
"My head hurts like hell..." she tilted her head up but instead of seeing Marlene's face she saw a pink poring being held close to her face. It had two large green antennas sticking out from the top of its body and was smiling widely at her.  
  
"Isn't it cute?" said Marlene's voice coming from behind the strange poring.  
  
"AAAAAAHHHHH!!! GET THAT THING AWAY FROM ME!!!" she screamed in fright. As fast as a racing thief bug, she got to her feet and scampered towards Mai who was sitting a few steps away eating his lunch and hid behind his back. Emily's sudden rush caused him to drop the food on his lap.  
  
"Look at what you've done!" said a very irritated Mai. He took several sheets of tissue paper and started cleaning the terrible mess on his lap.  
  
"I had Porry wear Mai's green feeler. He looks cute in it, doesn't he?" Marlene chattered cheerfully, pulling the poring close to her and locking it in a tight embrace.  
  
"Porry?" Emily asked regaining her composure. She moved away from Mai's back and sat on the grassy ground beside him.  
  
"Have you forgotten? That's my pet's name." Mai stated, still wiping the food off his pants.  
  
"What an ugly name!" Emily exclaimed.  
  
"I like that name since it's the name master gave me." The poring interjected.  
  
"It's better if you didn't name that poring instead of giving it something so lame. That way, we could have easily sell that thing off and make some cash." Emily said to Mai, completely ignoring the poring.  
  
"Here's your lunch," the lady Fruit Merchant from the Izlude market said, handing Emily a plateful of rice and grilled pork chops. "I'm glad that you're fine. You've been asleep for more than three hours now and I was starting to get worried."  
  
"It's nothing. I've been through tougher stuff back at the Academy." Emily replied before starting to eat her lunch. "Wait a minute, shouldn't you be in Izlude?"  
  
"I had my daughter watch the store for today so that I could help my husband in harvesting the rice." The lady answered, filling a glass with fruit juice and handing it to the man with a large frame in his late forties Emily assumed to be the fruit merchant's husband.  
  
"Isn't that a bit too much work for old folks like you?"  
  
"Nah. We get lots of help from the neighbors," said the fruit merchant's husband waving his hand. "Besides, I don't look that old now, do I?" He followed with a mischievous wink aimed at the acolyte.  
  
A large sweatdrop spawning over her forehead was Emily's reaction. _Dirty old pervert,_ she thought in disgust and narrowing her eyes at the old man. Good thing Marlene was busy pampering the little poring while Mai was completely focused on removing the mess on his pants to notice or she wouldn't hear the end of it.  
  
Unfortunately for the old man that gesture didn't escape the watchful eyes of his wife and earned him an elbow on the side hard packed with enough force that he almost spat his lunch back out. The farmer frowned at her while rubbing the aching part of his body.  
  
"So how's the work on the rockers going?" The fruit merchant asked while throwing a sideward glare at her husband.  
  
"Right now we have already exterminated the rockers from most part of the fields. The only place left that we haven't been to yet is the area near the foot of the hill. We'll be checking that this afternoon and hopefully finish the job by tomorrow." Mai narrated, reporting the group's progress to the client. Suddenly, he felt two hands clamping around his neck and began squeezing the air out of his throat.  
  
"I'm the leader of this party! I should be the one saying those reports to our customer you dimwit!" Emily yelled aloud while furiously shaking the poor novice.  
  
"B-b-but you're knocked out cold for most of the day..." Mai tried to reason out but found it difficult due to lack of breath.  
  
"Oh. You three better be careful if you're going to wander around Rocker Hill." The farmer said causing all three to stop whatever their doing and turn at him curiously.  
  
"What do you mean by we should be careful around Rocker Hill?" asked Emily who had loosened her grip on Mai's neck much to the novice's relief.  
  
"Listen. Do you know that there is a very rare and aggressive type of rocker that lives on that hill?"  
  
Mai, Emily and Marlene all shook their heads.  
  
"It is called the vocal and is regarded as the king of rockers. This monster is very tough and strong that nothing can stand in its path." The old farmer paused for a moment and the three took the chance 'ooh' in astonishment. "Usually, this monster hides inside its nest somewhere in Rocker Hill for most of the year and only comes out during the harvest season when the strong smell of ripe rice flushes the monster out of hiding to feed."  
  
Marlene began to shiver and tightened her embrace at the poring. "T-that sounds scary."  
  
"You bet it is." The farmer seconded with a nod. "One thing about this monster is that it carries a Romantic Gent, an elegant, ivory-colored hat which is tied around its neck. This hat is so rare and desired that adventurers from all over Midgard comes to the hill during this time of year to hunt the monster down. However, only a few have ever laid sight on the vocal and those have ended up either crippled for life or worst dead."  
  
After his speech, the farmer noticed Marlene continued to shiver. Mai appeared to be mildly interested and while Emily looked thoroughly excited. "Hey old man! How much do you think would that Romantic Gent fetch?" she asked.  
  
"Around a couple million zeny I guess," he mused. "But you kids shouldn't be thinking about hunting the vocal. You aren't a match for it. Many stronger adventurers tried and ended up worse at the hands of that monster so you better stay clear of Rocker Hill if you know what's good for you." Too bad the warning came too late when the fruit merchant's husband saw a money-eyed Emily muttering romantic gent, millions and zeny to herself. She seemed to have been totally disconnected from reality in her daydreaming.  
  
"Now don't believe such rubbish!" The fruit merchant said handing out cupcakes to everyone for dessert. "Vocals aren't real. It's all but a monster taken from some silly folktale and every one starts thinking that it exists."  
  
"No honey. Vocals are real."  
  
"Then I supposed baphomets are real too, eh? Like those fairytales about porings with white wings," said the fruit merchant giving a towering look over her husband. "Besides, have you actually seen one of those vocals?"  
  
"Well... ah... no. But–"  
  
"Exactly my point!" The old lady exclaimed with a hint of triumph. "Naturally the whole of Rocker Hill have been searched a number of times by scholars from Prontera, Al de Baran, Juno and Geffen but no vocal has been found. Of course, some people," the fruit merchant cast another sideward glance to his husband, "still believe that crack and bull story and continues to scour the forest for the monster that never really exists. But then again, crackpots are scattered all over the world."  
  
The farmer could only lower his head in embarrassment after that last comment knowing fully who his wife was referring it to.

* * *

Later that afternoon the party was trekking down the part of rice fields near the foot of the hill forming a line as they move through the rice. Tall trees and forest bushes form a natural border marking the boundaries between the fruit merchant's property and the forest of Rocker Hill.  
  
Emily was walking at the front a few steps ahead of Mai and Marlene, leading the way and asserting her authority as party leader. "Hey! Speed it up you two!" She ordered at the people behind her while keeping her eyes fixed forward.  
  
"Yes master." Mai and Marlene both responded in an uncaring tone. Just then, Marlene noticed that Porry, who was sitting on Mai's head, started to wobble its slimy body making the Green Feeler shake in the air.  
  
"Mai, why is Porry shaking? Is he sick?" Marlene worriedly asked.  
  
"No. I think he found a rocker hiding somewhere."  
  
"Where?" The mage asked, frantically looking from side to side in search of the said monster.  
  
"There." Mai replied, pointing on his left towards the direction of the rice fields.  
  
"Where? I can't find it." Marlene said rather impatiently, turning at the direction Mai indicated. A few moments later and a green rocker suddenly sprung out from a patch of golden rice a few meters away. "There! You're right! I see it!" She exclaimed jumping in glee. "Porings are so cool!"  
  
That last remark made the poring blush although it was quite hard to notice since it was blending with the pink color of its body.  
  
Suddenly, arrows came from out of nowhere and embedded themselves on the rocker's body instantly killing it. Seconds later and they saw a hunter emerged after hiding within the rice and went to check the rocker's carcass.  
  
"Oh. I guess our work will be getting a lot easier." Mai commented.  
  
"Hey! Did you get it!" A new voice echoed loudly in the field announcing the arrival of a male wizard while his knight companion ordered her pecopeco to run to where the hunter was.  
  
"Yes! But it's just an ordinary rocker!" The hunter replied. He pulled a grasshopper's leg and gave it to the knight.  
  
The knight took a few glances at the leg before throwing it away after finding the item to be of no apparent interest. "Where could the vocal be?" she asked.  
  
Porry's poring instincts told him to pick the loot up so the slimy creature hopped down from Mai's head only to be caught by the novice in midair. "You're not going to cause me again the trouble of trying to find you under all of that itchy rice," said Mai eyeing his pet with an annoyed look upon his face. The poring tried to wiggle his way out but the boy's grip was simply too tight.  
  
"Let's look over there." The wizard who has just reached the other two suggested and the party left on their way.  
  
"Damn it. We've got competition." Emily cursed. She quickly turned heel and rounded up her teammates. "Listen up! We're going to have to move faster if we want to catch the vocal first!"  
  
Mai turned at the acolyte in disbelief. "Don't be silly! You seriously believe that vocal crap is real?"  
  
"Idiot! If a party of adventurers that strong is looking for the vocal then that means its real!" She yelled aloud pointing towards the direction the second classers disappeared into for emphasis.  
  
"But Emily you heard what the fruit merchant's husband said! If the vocal can cripple knights for life then in less than ten seconds we'll be dead meat for sure once we face that thing! It's very risky!" Marlene exclaimed. She was shivering at the thought of fighting such a strong and frightening monster.  
  
"That's to be expected then. You'll always find huge risks in things where the payback is great. It's just the way things are."Emily answered simply with a shrug. "The sooner we find the vocal, the sooner we can get our hands on that multi-million zeny Romantic Gent!" _My dream of making it rich is finally going to come true! Yes!_  
  
Mai wanted to argue but after seeing the manic glint on Emily's eyes he knew that no amount of reasoning would ever dissuade the girl. All he could do was heave a sigh. "Fine. Let's just get this over with."  
  
"Alright! Let's go!" The acolyte yelled enthusiastically, raising a fist high into the air before continuing her march forward. Mai waited for his pet to jump back on his head before he and a very reluctant Marlene resumed following their party's apparent leader.  
  
"I don't like this at all..." Marlene whined.

* * *

"Hey Boss Diana, you better be sure you're information is correct. This will be one big waste of time and effort if it isn't." the thief called out. He together with a merchant girl he was calling 'boss' and another male swordsman were dashing in a very quick pace in their way through the woods.  
  
"Relax. Since when has my information ever been wrong?" replied the merchant girl named Diana who was running at the front leading the party.  
  
"This is great! We're going to be raking a fortune for sure." said the swordsman.  
  
"Hehehe. If I were you, I'd start planning on what to do with my share of the money we'll be earning." Diana suggested, counting the chicks even before the eggs hatches. She continued to lead the team forward, keeping their pace until they reached the part of the forest road that was covered with tall bushes and low lying leaves and branches from the trees.

* * *

"You two! Keep your eyes and ears peeled! The vocal could be hiding here somewhere!" Emily reminded bossily from several paces up front.  
  
"Yes master!" Mai and Marlene both said in unison.

* * *

Diana emerged out of the bushes and saw that they have finally reached the rice fields beyond the forest of Rocker Hill but that view lasted for only a second before a figure came out of nowhere and...  
  
PAK!!!  
  
Heads ringing after the collision, Emily ended up sitting with her butt painfully on the ground while Diana was down on all fours. "Ouch..." the both of them groaned.  
  
"Emily!" Marlene exclaimed worriedly, moving in a rush next to her friend.  
  
"Are you okay?" Mai asked standing behind the acolyte with his pet poring still on his head.  
  
"Boss?" asked the thief seeing their leader in an awkward position after emerging from the bushes with the swordsman.  
  
"Hey boss, why are you in such an indecent pose? Hold that while I go get my camera." The swordsman followed with a joke.  
  
With their eyes finally returning to focus, the two girls turned their heads up and saw each other face to face together with the other's respective party mates standing behind in the background. Surprised, both girls jumped unto their feet, pointed at each other and asked in a perfectly synchronized chain of movements, "YOU AGAIN?!!" 


	3. You Again!

Chapter 03 –  
  
Emily ended up sitting with her butt painfully on the ground while Diana was down on all fours after colliding with each other. The two girls turned their heads up and saw each other face to face together with the other's respective party mates standing in the background. Surprised, both jumped on their feet, pointed at each other and asked in a perfectly synchronized chain of movements, "YOU AGAIN?!!"  
  
"Ohohoho!" Diana began to laugh as she rose back to her feet. Emily and the rest of her party fell silent  
  
"What are you laughing at, preggy?!" Emily cried aloud. Her painfully behind was still glued on the ground.  
  
Diana looked down at Emily asserting herself in a very superior manner. "Manners my dear. I really didn't expect to see you at a place like this. So, how are you girls going along? Still kill-stealing, hmm?" She said in haughty tone, raising an eyebrow at them. She was delighted to see Emily fuming in anger while Marlene was frowning madly at her.

"You boy." She then turned at the novice with a poring sitting over his head standing beside the mage. "Why are you hanging around these two? You won't reach anything if you keep company with people like these since they know is kill-stealing."  
  
Mai didn't say a word. He simply cast an indifferent look at the merchant and her party.  
  
"That's rude! We're working very hard on our training you know!" Marlene said aloud.  
  
"Oh, so that's what you're doing," said Diana. The merchant then turned her head up and down, examining Marlene form head to foot. "Well, fighting rockers seems a good practice for weaklings like yourself. I'm glad that you _do_ know how to pick an appropriate training ground."  
  
Emily's eyes twitched after hearing those last statements from Diana. She pulled herself back on her feet and met the merchant's stare. "So you're really underestimating us. It's only fair to warn you that we can kick your asses anytime of the day!" She said defiantly.  
  
Diana closed her eyes and took a deep breath, suggesting annoyance at the apparent ignorance of the people in front of her, before continuing in a superior and arrogant tone. "If I were you I'd watch my mouth, pigeon-toes." She said eyeing the acolyte's feet. That remark caused steam to rise on Emily's top in fury. "Just from the first glance, experienced adventurers like us know how strong the people we're facing are and sad to say you three are far below our level. Right boys?" She mentioned, shifting her gaze to the guys behind her.  
  
"Right Boss Diana." The thief and the swordsman answered in unison.  
  
Mai elbowed Marlene lightly on the side to get her attention. "Marlene, who are these people?"  
  
Marlene placed a finger on her chin thinking. "Um. I don't know their names. All I remember is that they are the guys Emily and I stole the trunk from after we kill-stealed from their elder willow." She then turned towards the acolyte and asked, "Hey Emily, you know their names?"  
  
Caught off guard by the question, Emily started to sweat under Mai and Marlene's collective stare. "A...eh...no." That answer caused large sweat drops to appear on the foreheads of Mai, Diana and her two party mates.  
  
"Hmph! We usually charge people for asking our names but since you guys look like you don't have any zeny to spare then I guess I'll tell you for free. I'm the smart, beautiful and seductive merchant Diana," Emily's face contorted with disgust at her shameless self-introduction, "and these guys behind me are Jake at Raul." Diana mentioned the swordsman and the thief respectively. The two guys gestured a friendly wave at them from behind.  
  
"Nice to meet you! I'm Marlene. This is Mai and this is my best friend Emily. Finally, that pink, cute one on Mai's head is Porry." said a bouncing Marlene, pointing at the novice, acolyte and the poring wearing a green feeler as she introduce them one by one.  
  
"And what are experienced adventurers like yourselves doing here at the training grounds for weaklings such as ourselves?" Emily asked with one of her eyebrows raised.  
  
"Hmph! We're not obliged to explained anything to you!" Diana huffed.  
  
"Ows? Perhaps you're also here to train, right?." teased Emily. A sly smile forms on her lips upon seeing the merchant girl's reaction.  
  
"Shame on you! We came here to hunt a rocker doll from the vocal!" the merchant screamed in outrage.  
  
_Dammit! More competition!_ thought Emily.  
  
"You're looking for a rocker doll? So you guys collect dolls too! I have a set of poring, drops and poporing life-sized plush dolls together with my chon-chon and yoyo plushies. Tell me what dolls do you have." Marlene exclaimed eagerly.  
  
Jake shook his head, chuckling lightly. "We're not doll collectors actually. It's one of the requirements the attendant from the Izlude Drill Field is asking before he will teach me a new skill. I don't get the nerve of that guy, asking for such an expensive item," said the swordsman with a light frown on his face.  
  
"Expensive?" asked Emily.  
  
"Don't you know? Rocker dolls are quite expensive. Right now its price plays at around 400,000z to 600,000z apiece but sometimes you'll find knights who would buy one for about a million zeny," explained Jake.  
  
"A million zeny..." a money-eyed Emily muttered dreamily.  
  
"If you want, you could also trade it for rare cards and items. Don't say that I didn't teach you anything." Diana continued.  
  
"How's that? It looks like we'll be the first ones to catch that vocal." the acolyte said with full confidence.  
  
"Really?" Diana said, raising an eyebrow at her.  
  
"Of course. That's certain. If you want to, we can have a contest of who can kill the most number of rockers in the process. What do you say?" Emily dared. She suddenly felt her side sting after Marlene moved close and pinched her.  
  
"Emily! What are you doing?! These people are strong! They'll easily beat for sure!" Marlene said, sounding extremely worried.  
  
"Don't worry. This'll be a piece of cake." Emily told the mage. She shifted her gaze back to the merchant in front. "I'll bet you this poring that we'll win!"  
  
"Hey!" Mai snapped in protest while his pet began to shake in fear.  
  
"But Emily, you know that you really suck at gambling. Remember the last time we visited Prontera before we got our fist jobs? You played poker with a couple of archers at the pub. What happened? You returned to the Academy buck naked because you bet your uniform! And now you want to bet Porry!"  
  
"Marlene. Past is past. Don't worry, we won't lose."  
  
"Poor Porry. We might not see each other again." Marlene caught the poring who had jumped down from his master's head into her arms and hugged it tightly.

"Don't I get a say at this! It's my pet you're talking about here!" Mai said aloud. Unfortunately, his protests fell on deaf ears as Emily and Diana, the main perpetrators of this bet, simply choose to ignore him.

"Hmm. The price of one poring egg plays at around 40,000z. You got yourself a deal, pigeon-toes." Diana nodded after a few moments of contemplation. "Better say goodbye to that poring because we're going to win this bet for sure," she said with the same haughty tone of voice.  
  
"We'll see about that, preggy!" Emily retorted with flames of determination burning in her eyes.

* * *

"You sure about this, Boss?" Raul asked. He was taking on three rockers all at the same time. With his quickness, not even one of the large grasshopper-like monsters could hit him and coupled with his mastery in using a dagger, he delivers death with striking efficiency.

One strong slash from the heavy-looking bastard sword and another dead rocker falls on the ground. Jake readies his sword again and charges another rocker. "Yeah Boss. This is just one big waste of time and effort if you ask me."  
  
"Stop being negative and just kill those stupid rockers. There's a chance that these things might drop the rocker doll. Just think about this as practice prior to the vocal." Diana called aloud while taking on a rocker herself. Each time the rocker attacks; she would counter with her axe that results with the rocker losing it arms. She then finished up with a nice strike on the head to put the rocker into an eternal sleep.

"Now that you put it that way, this doesn't look like a useless waste of effort anymore." Jake remarked.

"Also, we get a poring egg for a prize for exterminating these weak rockers. Doesn't that sound great?" asked Diana.  
  
"Yup. It's like killing three birds with one stone." Raul seconded, finally slashing down all three rockers.  
  
"But still, I don't think getting into a bet with those three is a good idea. We might get accused of scamming newbies. That would ruin our reputation." Jake said, blocking a swipe from the long insect's arm with his sword.  
  
"This is not a scam." Diana corrected him. "They were the ones who proposed this bet in the first place so sorry for them."

* * *

An angry rocker howls and attacks with its slender arms. Mai courageously steps forward, narrowly dodging the insect's powerful swipes and, using both arms, extends his knife down at the rocker's heart. Colorless body fluids gushed like a fountain from the rocker's stab wound as life was slowly drained out of him. Finally, Mai pulls his knife off the rocker's body shoving the carcass aside.  
  
"Napalm Beat!!"  
  
Mai turns at Marlene after she puts down a rocker with her spell. He then proceeds to wiping his face that was completely drenched with rocker fluids with the sleeves of his uniform.  
  
"Hey rest time's over! Go search for more rockers!" Emily shouted through a megaphone. She was standing a few feet away, ordering the two to work.  
  
"Why don't you make yourself useful by giving us a hand instead of lazing in there doing nothing." Mai commented. He rushed towards the unwary rocker that had just emerged from the rice field, killing it with a rain of knife stabs.  
  
"Yeah Emily. We could really use some help. Soul Strike!!" Marlene seconded before sending three spirit balls to attack a nearby rocker.  
  
"Stop complaining! I'm the team leader around here so what I say goes and I order you to kill every single rocker that you see if you don't want that preggy merchant bitch to get your beloved poring! Now WORK!!!" Emily shouted like a slave master ordering her slaves to work. The megaphone amplified her already loud voice that it echoed throughout the vast rice fields.  
  
Suddenly, Mai, Marlene and Porry, who was sitting over Mai's head, all narrowed and turned their eyes towards Emily. Seeing Mai tightened the grip on his knife while Marlene started casting under her breath unnerved her. _I guess I went a step too far, _she though to herself, taking a small step backward. To her surprise, Mai started charging towards her while from behind him Marlene released Soul Strike. Backing away in panic, Emily suddenly tripped and fell on her behind while fear at the sight of her comrades attacking her eats her from inside. There was nothing she could do now but to close her eyes as the spirit balls rushed closer.  
  
PAK!!! PAK!!! PAK!!!  
  
Emily heard three loud striking sound. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Mai jumped past her and buried his knife between the eyes of a tall rocker standing behind her. The rocker howled in pain before toppling down the ground. Emily heaved a sigh of relief.  
  
"Mai, is the rocker dead?" Marlene asked.  
  
"Yeah, I guess. This one's not moving anymore," replied Mai. He forcefully pulled the sellable grasshopper's legs from the rocker's body.  
  
"Whew. That's good," said Marlene feeling extremely relieved. "I'm glad nothing bad happened to you Emily. The rocker suddenly appeared behind you. If we haven't seen it you could have–"  
  
"I still think that we should have just left that rocker alone that way it could have taken care of loud-mouth and pompous Ms. Team Leader. for us" Mai joked aloud, placing the grasshopper's leg inside the large sack along with other loots they have collected for the day.  
  
"GRR!" Emily stood up and quickly planted her fist on Marlene and Mai's skulls. Even Porry was not spared from the acolyte's anger as large bumps appeared over the trio's head. "You three are going to kill me from heart-attack you idiots!"

* * *

That night Emily and the rest of her party were having dinner in silence around the small fire they've set up at a forest clearing near the rice fields. Emily was eating her food in a normal pace contrary to her usual way of devouring food as quickly as possibly taking in large morsels at a time to prove that she was still in a bad mood about the incident earlier. Mai, Marlene and Porry were making as less noise as possible so as to not agitate the still fuming acolyte.  
  
"Well, well, won't you take a look at that. You haven't even found a rare item yet and you people are already fighting amongst yourselves." Diana teased after suddenly appearing from behind Emily.  
  
Emily didn't like Diana's way of greeting. She narrowed her eyes at her food not caring to give the merchant a second's glance and replied with a murderous tone, "You better leave me alone, preggy, if you know what's good for you."  
  
"OK. Fine." Diana said sounding a bit hurt. She took a seat beside the acolyte and took a piece of roasted meat still sitting by the flame.  
  
"Those are cute head gears. How much did you pay for those?" joked Jake. He was laughing lightly while pointing at the large bumps on Mai, Marlene, and the little poring's heads.  
  
"We wandered deep within the forest earlier and found lots of fruit-bearing trees. Here," said Raul throwing the three an apple each. Porry, since he doesn't have hands, simply allowed the apple to hit him and then absorbed the fruit whole into its body like an amoeba. Seeing that feat, Raul raised an eyebrow. "Nice catch."  
  
"Thanks a lot big brother!" Marlene said, bowing her head in gratitude.  
  
"Why don't you guys join us for dinner?" asked Mai. "There's enough meat here for everyone."  
  
"No thanks. We just ate." Raul waved a hand turning down the offer.  
  
Diana swallowed a large chuck of meat loudly before explaining. "We're making rounds around the rice fields just in case the vocal decides to show itself. This is the best time to move since tonight's a full moon. The moonlight should make it easier to spot monsters hiding in the dark."  
  
"Yeah. The sooner we find a rocker doll the better." Jake commented, taking a piece of roast meat.  
  
"So guys, we'll be going on our way." Diana stood up putting what was left of the meat back into the flame and started towards the direction of the rice fields together with her party mates. A few steps later and she turned head back towards Emily. "Hey pigeon-toes, better save that sour face later when you lose to us big time! Ohohohohoho!"  
  
Mai watched the three walk away, with Diana laughing aloud, until they disappeared into the darkness of the forest. He then turned his attention towards Emily. "Should we also make rounds through the fields tonight?"  
  
"There's no need for that." Emily replied shaking her head. "We better rest and get enough sleep. We'll resume hunting the first thing tomorrow morning."  
  
It was something Mai had not expected to hear from Emily given her competitive attitude. He fixed his at her as she continues to take small bites slowly off her piece of roast meat. Confused, all he could do was to nod in assent.

* * *

"Hey Raul, you found something yet?" Diana asked flashing her flashlight at the thief several paces away.  
  
"Not a thing!"  
  
_The rockers' colors makes them blend easier with the rice during the night so they're still hard to spot from far away even with the full moon, _thought Diana. She resumed scanning the fields with her flashlight just like the others were doing. "Keep your eyes and ears peeled everyone!" Shge reminded the party.  
  
"Two hours already we still haven't found a single rocker. This trip is starting to become a waste." Raul complained. "We should have just taken the night off and get some rest."  
  
"Patience, Raul. We'll find something." Jake reassured him. "And to think that you're a thief." He followed with a chuckle. Raul snorted at him.  
  
"Hey look! I found one!" exclaimed Diana. She pointed the light at the silhouette of a rocker hiding behind the tall rice. Probably because of the glare from the flashlights, the monster was agitated by their presence and started to attack. He caught Diana off guard leaving her no time to react.  
  
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

* * *

"That's Miss Diana's voice." Mai turned to the direction where the voice came from, alarmed by the loud scream.  
  
"Maybe something happened to them." Marlene worried.  
  
"Com'on." Emily got to her feet and together with Mai and Marlene, they rushed towards the rice fields to help. When they arrived at the scene, they saw Diana tending a heavily injured and unconscious Raul while Jake was giving it his best effort trying to fend the vocal off.  
  
"What happened here preggy?" Emily asked, rushing next to Diana's side.  
  
"The vocal came from out of nowhere and attacked us. It was supposed to attack me but Raul knocked me away and took the blow instead." Diana said, pouring some red potions over Raul's wounds.  
  
"Heal! Quick!" shouted Jake. Several carcasses of rockers lay on his feet after disposing all of the vocal's rocker minions. However, that had worn the swordsman greatly leaving him wide open for one of the vocal's slender arms impaled him on the side creating an awfully large wound. The swordsman knelt down due to the intense pain.

When he looked up he saw the vocal raise the violin it was carrying into the air and was about to finish him by throwing a good whack down his face. Fortunately, before the insect could connect its instrument at him five spirit balls simultaneously attacked the monster, stunning it for a while. Jake suddenly felt warm light envelop his body and the next thing he noticed is that his wounds were magically healed. With his body back in tiptop shape, Jake made a quick back jump away just in time to avoid another wide swing thrown by the angry vocal.  
  
"My attacks don't seem to be making as much as a scratch to that dumb monster!" Jake complained, placing his sword back to ready position.  
  
"Although I don't want to admit this, it looks like we can't take this monster down with our powers alone." Diana hesitated as though something was blocking her throat. She made a loud cough and then continued, "Even though you're just newbies we need your help if we want to survive this battle."  
  
A smile appeared on Emily's lips. "Even though I hate your gut, we'll call a truce and cooperate with you this time, preggy."  
  
"Same goes here, pigeon-toes." Diana said back taking her axe out.  
  
"You guys need my help?" Mai offered.  
  
"No. A brat like you won't be able to handle this. Let us take care of the vocal. Since Raul was knocked out and won't be able to defend himself, you will have to guard him and make sure that he stays safe. That's your job kid." Jake told him while keeping his focus on the vocal. Mai need not another telling. He simply nodded and took a seat beside Raul's unconscious form to watch the battle from behind. He doesn't even feel bad about it as he is already used to people always putting him at the back in every major fights because of him being a novice.  
  
"Heal!! Increase AGI!! Blessing!!" Emily cried aloud, casting all the supportive spells that she has managed to learn on Marlene, Diana and Jake. "There! My stamina's almost drained in those spells!"  
  
"That's good enough. You ready, Jake? Marlene? Pigeon-toes, you know what to do?" Diana asked, earning nods of affirmation from everyone. "Alright everyone, attack!" Jake and Diana, enjoying the effects of the Increase AGI spell, both rushed towards the vocal with improved speeds while Marlene and Emily were left behind casting their spells.  
  
"Decrease AGI!!" shouted Emily releasing her spell when Jake, who was significantly faster than Diana, was about to reach the monster first. With its mobility greatly reduced, the vocal was left with no alternative but to try and block Jake's attack using one of his strong arms. However, due to Blessing amplifying his attack power, Jake managed to cut to vocal's arm with ease despite being protect by its tough skin.  
  
The vocal howled in pain after losing one of its arms. Unfortunately for the monster, it was not allowed to have a second's rest as Diana had reached him shortly after and threw a strike of her own using her axe. Again the vocal tried to block it using one of his still functional arms and again the monster lost another arm when Diana managed to land a critical hit. And as if it wasn't enough, another barrage of spirit balls from the Soul Strike spell came the monster's way with each one having a successful hit. Taking too much damage, the monster finally fell to the ground.  
  
"YEESSSS!!!" The party rejoiced at their apparent victory.  
  
"Yey! We beat the vocal! We're the best!" Marlene shouted bouncing up and down in glee.  
  
"Jake. See if the vocal dropped some rare treat." Diana ordered.  
  
"Yes Boss." Jake threaded through the tall rice towards the area where the vocal had fallen. When he was only mere footsteps away from the vocal's body he heard Mai called out to him.  
  
"Be careful, Jake!"  
  
"Don't worry! The vocal is dead." Jake looked back to the novice and replied confidently.  
  
However, that happy feeling of triumph didn't seem to last long. When he turned his head back to the direction of the vocal's body, a long insect's arm suddenly locked the swordsman's neck in a tight grip. Slowly, the vocal got back on its feet, revealing itself to everyone's surprise. The monster raised Jake high into the air, carrying the whole weight of the swordsman with its powerful arm.

Jake tried to free himself off the vocal's choking grasp by hacking its arm with his sword. However, with the effects of Blessing now gone, the attack didn't do much of a damage to the monster's though armored skin. The wind was suddenly knocked out of him after the vocal slammed him hard on the ground with all its might.  
  
"Dammit." Diana cursed, rushing towards the monster. When she got close enough, Diana jumped and slashed her axe down the vocal's head with all her might and... missed.  
  
Regaining its normal speed after the acolyte's spell had worn off, the vocal easily sidestepped through Diana's attack. Using its violin as though it was a baseball bat, the monster hacked the merchant sending her flying towards the acolyte. Emily was instantly knocked out after the collision while Diana was severely hurt but had enough strength to remain conscious. Marlene was left to fend the vocal with a barrage of Soul Strikes. Some of the spirit balls may have hit the monster however most of the time the vocal would simply dodge or parry those attacks.  
  
_There's no way in hell that I'll allow myself to lose to this oversized insect!_ Diana thought in sheer determination. She used her remaining strength to get herself back on her feet.  
  
"Should I help?" Mai asked again.  
  
"You'll just get in the way!" Diana uncorked three bottles of red potions and drank them all in large gulps. "Listen carefully. While Marlene and I try to fend the vocal off, you drag Raul, Jake and Emily to a safe place. Once you're done, run to the nearby village and ask for help. We will try to keep this thing busy until backup arrives. Is that clear?"  
  
After receiving Mai's nod, Diana raised her axe once more and courageously charged towards the vocal. Giving it all that she's got, the merchant swung her weapon at the vocal aiming at the insect's midsection. Unfortunately, that attack was in vain. The vocal caught her arm before she could land her axe at the monster's body.  
  
"Soul Strike!!"  
  
Seeing five spirit balls rapidly approaching, the vocal quickly raised the merchant in front of it shielding itself from the magic attack. Diana felt all five spirits struck her painfully on the back that she lost consciousness. The vocal fixed its eyes at Diana's unconscious form as though examining it. Just then, the vocal felt something invisible hit it. It shook the monster but nevertheless remained on its feet.  
  
"Let Miss Diana go!" Marlene shouted angrily, pointing her rod straight towards the vocal. "Napalm Beat!!"  
  
Another psychic wave suddenly hit the arm the vocal used to carry Diana's limp body. Although the arm remained intact, the attack caused the vocal to drop the girl on the ground. The great pain enraged the vocal and it started running towards Marlene, angrily flexing its remaining arms.  
  
_I will protect everyone!_ "Soul Strike!!" Five fierce spirit balls erupted from the end of Marlene's rod. Marlene focused her mind on taking the vocal down as the spirits raced towards the charging vocal. The memory of how the monster took her friends out playing clearly on her mind. Her concentration was rewarded when all five spirits made powerful hits all over vocals body. In a loud painful howl, the vocal toppled on the ground hidden from view by the tall curtain of swaying rice.  
  
"Whew." Marlene fell on her knees, feeling a mixture of great relief and exhaustion from the battle. Suddenly, a loud rustling was heard snaking through the rice fields. Marlene gripped her rod tightly and readied herself but nothing could have prepared her for what came next. The vocal, angered and all, sprung out in front of her with its violin raised into the air by its two remaining arms. Her eyes grew wide in fright as the violin came closer and closer until...  
  
Marlene was surprised when she saw something tackled the vocal, knocking it paces back. She blinked twice to make sure that her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. The whole place was then filled with the vocal's loud cries of pain.  
  
"Mai?" The next thing she noticed was the novice standing in front of her. He had his knife out and held it with one hand while on the other hand held one of the vocal's arms. She looked down and saw the other one of the vocal's last two functional arms lying on the ground together with the violin the monster was always carrying around.  
  
After a minute of howling, the monster finally got back on its feet and despite losing all of its arms still made a mad rush towards the novice. Mai remained in his place, waiting until the vocal got closer. Dropping the vocal's arm down, he raised his knife and struck the monster on the neck so hard that the monster's head was ripped off from the rest of its body.

"You okay?" Mai asked, offering Marlene a hand. Marlene nodded in reply. She took the hand and Mai pulled her up helping her back on her feet.  
  
Looking around, the mage saw the headless body of the vocal lying on the ground. Now there was no doubt that the monster was definitely dead and won't be pulling any more surprise like what it did with Jake. "Wow! Mai, how come you never told you were that strong." She said sounding full of admiration as the novice went to tend the knocked out bodies of their other partymates.  
  
"Not really. You guys have damaged the vocal pretty badly that my attack was able to finish it off otherwise it wouldn't have worked much either." Mai replied. He was tending to Emily first as she was nearer, wrapping clean bandage on her forehead.  
  
"Ouch. That hurts..." Diana groaned as she slowly returned to consciousness. She opened her eyes and saw an elegant looking hat lying near her. _Romantic gent? _A weak smile formed on her lips. _Looks like I still got pretty lucky eh._ Mustering her remaining strength, she tried to stand up.  
  
"Hey! Miss Diana! Don't go walking just yet! That'll make your injuries worse!" Mai called aloud while tending Jake who had also awakened after being knocked out cold by the vocal.  
  
Diana ignored both Mai and the stinging pain from her sore body and continued to walk gingerly, each step taking her closer towards the rare and, not to mention, expensive hat. _You're mine..._  
  
A soft rustling and Porry came out from behind the rice and jumped over the romantic gent, gobbling the hat into its body. "I'm a good poring! I got master's loot!" The poring exclaimed happily, having a wide smile stretched over its face. "Master will be so happy when he sees this!"  
  
"Oh no..." Diana cried brokenheartedly. Regret coupled with a sore, badly beaten body drove her back to unconsciousness where she fell down face first on the soft ground.


End file.
